Major iron ore plant stays open for business in Liberia despite Ebola outbreak

Ebola Outbreak

The World Bank estimates Ebola could cost West African nations $2.6 billion. The seven-month long outbreak has scared away many investors and led Liberia, the worst-affected country, to slash its annual growth estimate. However, the world’s biggest steel and mining group, ArcelorMittal, is determined to keep its employees safe, and its production stable.  

CCTV America’s Katerina Vittozzi reports.

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West Africa could now see up to 10,000 new Ebola cases every week for the next two months, the World Health Organization said. The WHO also raised the mortality rate from 50 percent to 70 percent. The outbreak has killed nearly 4,500 people so far, nearly all of them in West Africa.

He may be in charge of Liberia’s biggest iron ore port, but Denis Foulds must proceed through Ebola health-screenings like every other member of staff: Get a temperature check and wash your hands at a special station.

ArcelorMittal’s Liberia plant at Buchanan port on Liberia’s southern coast has 220 workers and there’s not been a single Ebola case amongst them.

“I don’t know of any case where anyone’s been nervous not to come to work. They know the environment they have here is, in my opinion, probably a lot safer than what they have in the city. They get a lot of protection here and they look after each other. And I am not saying they prefer to be but I think they are quite happy to be here and happy to be at work,” Foulds said.

The plant exports 5 million tons of iron ore every year to China and Europe. Despite the Ebola outbreak, short-term production is still on track.

“We are pretty much on target and it’s down to the safety procedures that we are taking. We are not cutting any corners. We are not taking any chances. Even before the Ebola the motto is safety first always. And that’s what is always is. We’ve just made it, the topic has got a lot more serious and the whole scenario of Ebola is massive and the more we can talk about it, the safer we are going to be,” Foulds said.

Much of Liberia’s post-war economic future was based on the country’s mining sector. Before the epidemic, growth was slated for 7 percent this year. The government has slashed those estimates. But despite an uncertain future, and its own partly-stalled expansion plans, ArcelorMittal is staying put.

The same can’t be said for every company. Concerns about staff safety have forced some foreign investors to close shop in Liberia. But ArcelorMittal is spear-heading a group of some of the region’s biggest companies asking them to commit to the region, and provide the government with funding and support to beat this virus.